The invention relates to the field of electronics and, more particularly, alternating current to direct current conversion and distribution.
In a telecommunication system, a major design concern is the ability of the system to remain functional during a variety of failures which may occur both internal and external to the system. One area of constant investigation is in the power conversion and power distribution portion of the telecommunication system. Although components used within the power conversion and power distribution circuits have become more and more reliable, typical power subsystems are still vulnerable to single point failures. In other words, although electronic components may achieve greater reliability, the possibility of single point failures still causes concern among telecommunication system designers.
As a partial remedy to the issue of single point failures, a dual source alternating current to direct current conversion and distribution equipment can be employed. However, this equipment does not generally permit the repair of major subsystem elements while other portions of the power subsystem are operating. Thus, when a critical failure related to one of the dual sources has occurred, operation of the entire power conversion and distribution subsystem must be suspended in order to make repairs to the failed portion of the subsystem. This can cause an unacceptable suspension in the telecommunications services that require stable and continuous flow of direct current power.
Therefore, it is highly desirable to employ an alternating current to direct current distributor that incorporates modular features that enable failures to be easily detected and repaired while still allowing communications services to be provided while the failed portion of the power distribution system is undergoing repair.